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Monday, May 11, 2009

Please email me with your name and address to carriehgill@yahoo.com so that Justin can send you your copy!

I had intended to start a weekly ritual this past Saturday called Saturday Sillies. Unfortunately, it didn't work out because the Sandman forgot to shut off my dose of sleeping dust and I slept all day, except to use the facilities, and then it was back to sleep. In fact, he not only forgot to shut it off, I think my regular dose has been doubled! I overslept my post, which doesn't normally happen since I am usually awake all night, but again, I slept all night. I was lucky that I remembered to get Justin's post up for Sunday. Even now, after all of the sleep I did get, I still feel sleepy and groggy. I've been up for over an hour and half.

In my sleepy haze, I tried to think of what to write about, but I was drawing a blank. Not sure what exactly inspired the thought, thank you muse - wherever you are - for the inspiration of today's topic.

I'm a big sci-fi fan but I can appreciate softer side of sci-fi that is represented in paranormal and urban fantasy as well as the likes of J.D. Robb's In Death series. With all of these types of stories, science isn't really counted on to explain what's going on, so you have to be what's called, "suspended in disbelief," in order to accept certain unrealistic or unbelievable things and situations that occur in these stories.

Think of an author you've read that fits the criteria.

Tell us, what is it for you that grounds you into the stories that author writes? What is it that helps you relate to the characters and make you feel like you're really there? What helps you feel like these situations are occurring as you're reading the story?

Similarly, what is it that can make you feel like a character is just a bit off, not quite believable? Nothing necessarily so major that you wonder why the story got printed, but something that can make you disconnect from the character somewhat, but not necessarily from the story itself? It might be something slight enough that you can ignore, but it still has you wondering, even after the story was over.

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Moonbeams (comments):

You've certainly got me thinking there Carrie. Not productively, but thinking at least.

I guess the protagonists in Michael Crichton's most recent books became fairly unbelievable - the way he had them believing one side of an argument without question, and then switching to the other side, as if there weren't a halfway place where most people spend their lives. And the way people who believed the "wrong" thing were always either bad or naive.

I think it actually comes down to character, for the most part. I can believe in an alternate reality, where things are completely different from the norm. But, I have to believe the characters are real. If they're not, then I'm not going to care what happens and I'm not going to get into the story. If I can't get into the story, that's when I lose the ability to believe it.

Honestly, you can make me believe anything for the duration of a novel if the characters act in ways that are appropriate and you tell a good tale.

Okay Sierra, now I have to go a little further and ask, what helps make a character believable for you? Also, what might make a character not so believable? And, do you have some specific instances to offer a perspective?